After So Long
by TheAlchemist'sDaughter
Summary: NightStar, The Titans think Starfire is dead, But that theory is thrown out the window when a young girl, Nightfire, turns up at their door, looking for her father...
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

Prologue

The Titans were gathered in the common room, all except one. The four remaining were staring in horror at the screen, which now showed Slade's black and orange mask, enlarged to seven times it's actual size. What they were watching was a live video feed from Slade's lair, put up by Slade himself so they could watch his "finest hour".

"What is it that you want, Slade? Anything, it's yours." said Robin, prompted to this uncharacteristic surrender by the image of a struggling Starfire, bound and gagged, being man-handle and beaten by Slade's minions. Starfire and Robin had only been going out for a couple of months, but there mutual love was as stronger than any force on Earth. He would do anything for her.

"Oh Robin, you can't give me what I want, I can only take it. For I want revenge. Revenge against you and your team-mates."

"If it's me you want, let Starfire go!" said Robin.

"No Robin, I know that the best way to hurt you is to hurt Starfire. I'll kill her, and you'll never get over it. It is, after all, _your_ fault." said Slade before filling the room with his obnoxious laugh. Robin's hands clenched into fists.

"Slade, if you hurt her, I will dedicate my life to hunting you down and hurting you in every way I know how." Robin spat. Slade just looked at him and slowly brought his hand up where they could see it. He snapped his fingers, and the men brought the bent and bloodied Starfire over to him. Slade wrapped his hand around her throat, holding her up but tilting her head at an angle.

"Such a pretty girl you have Robin…" he said. Then his spare hand came up and carefully lifted off his mask but turning it to the side facing the camera, he did it in such a way that the Titans never saw his face. His mask now obscured not only his face but Starfire's aswell. However they could see enough to see how Slade leant in closer to Starfire, then they also saw Starfire jerk away a second later and spit blood in his face. He had kissed her, and Robin was seeing red. Slade dropped Starfire harshly to the floor, then turned away from the camera to wipe the blood from his face before replacing his mask. He gestured to someone to his right and was handed a syringe.

"Say goodbye to your loved one Titans" he said, then he bent down and the camera followed him to the floor. The Titans watched in desperate disbelief as Slade's syringe was plunged cruelly into Starfire's neck, releasing its contents into her bloodstream. Slade backed away to give the Titans a clear view of the tamerranian. Her body was already reacting to the poison, her chest was jerking as she tried to breath and her eyes rolled back into her head, her hands clawed at the stone floor she lay on. She frowned in deep concentration a drawing a last, ragged breath she whispered,

"Robin" and then she lay still. There was complete silence inside the Titan Tower for what seemed an eternity as they all urgently willed Starfire's frame to move again. Robin moved first,

"STARFIRE!" he shouted, leaping over the table to lay his hands on the screen. The image however moved from Starfire to Slade, who was looking down proudly at his accomplishment.

"Well, there you go, not much to see now I'm afraid. So I'll just go, oh, and don't forget Robin, this is your fault." And with that the screen flickered off. Robin stood motionless, his hands still pressed against the screen. The others were afraid to speak. Robin shook his head slowly, then faster and faster.

"No," he said "NOO!" he fell to his knees and broke down.


	2. Arrival

Chapter 2

Staring at the giant T in front of her, Claire was feeling a lot of different things. She was full of anticipation, but there was also guilt, for leaving her home the way she did, and dissapointment. The tower that had once stood as a shining beacon of justice and strength, seemed to have fallen into disrepair and neglect. It wasn't falling apart or anything, it just wasn't as grand as she had expected. _I've come this far……_ she thought,_ I can't stop now_. She walked carefully along the shore until she reached the crossing point. There was a small boat standing ever ready to ferry what few visitors the inhabitants of the tower had across, a little further upshore was a small stand. Claire approached it and stood for a minute at the desk. Finally she cleared her throat and called out,

"Hello?" A aging man stuck his head round the corner at the back of the stand, he was in his mid sixties, with grey hair and grey stubble to match. He smiled widely at Claire,

"Hello, little girl! Are you lookin' to get across the lake?" he asked

"Er, yeah," said Claire unsure of how to handle the old man.

"You visitin' the Titans?" he asked cheerfully

"Yeah," replied the girl slowly, trying not to sound sarcastic.

"Do you want me to take you?" he said

"If you would, please"

"Okay follow me," he said, dissapearing for a second then emerging round the side of the shack and walking down to the little boat. Claire followed him, feeling self-concious. Once they were both in the boat, the man leant across to fire up the ancient motor. "My name's Charles," he said, stretching it out to make it sound posh, "but you can call me Charlie, everybody does. "Charlie's ferries" that's right" Claire smiled and nodded at him.

"I'm Claire." she said, only to be polite.

"What you wanna see the Titans for, Claire?" he said. Claire didn't really think it was any of his business so she made her answer as vague as possible,

"I'm hoping to find someone."

"Oh, I get it" said the old man winking hard and nodding at Claire, but thankfully he didn't pursue the subject further. They finished the rest of the short journey in silence.

Claire stepped out of the boat and craned her neck to see the whole tower. She heard the man behind her say,

"Don't you worry 'bout payin' me nothin', I wouldn't dream of charging such a pretty girl." Claire hoped he wasn't being sarcastic and thought she was rude, because paying him hadn't even crossed her mind. She spun around, but the man just smiled broadly, turned the boat around and sped off.

Claire turned towards the tower again and a cold wind blew over her, making her shiver and pulling at her long black hair. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm herself, as she was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans. The shirt was black with a blue Batman logo on it, to match her crystal-blue eyes. She walked cautiously up to the door, all kinds of scenarios playing in her head, ones involving booby-traps (they were super-heros, after all) and ones where she would find the tower empty, or with a secret lab inside. Maybe they would turn her away completely….. She pressed the buzzer at the side of the door, telling herself to be brave.

"Who is it?" crackled a voice over the intercom, making her jump. She leant in to speak into the wall panel, still imagining the booby-traps.

"M-my name's Claire" she said.

"What do you want?" the voice didn't exactly sound angry, so she continued.

"Um, I'm looking for someone"

"Er,okay, so why did you come here?" said the voice after a long pause.

"'Cause I think he might live here"

"Who is it that you're looking for?" said the voice with suspicion and intrigue.

"Er I don't know." said Claire, wincing because she knew she sounded stupid.

"Okay," said the voice slowly, obviously starting to think that she was crazy.

"Can I come in? Please?" She was always forgetting her pleases, and having to add them on afterwards. She could hear talking on the other end, and a voice saying "Ain't got nothing better to do". After a another long pause she heard the door unlock. She slowly pushed it open, looking cautiously around it. There in front of her was a giant man, who appeared to be covered in metal plates that glowed a faint blue. Claire couldn't help but stare.

"Y- Are you Cyborg?" she said.

"Yeah, let's go up to the main room, the others are waiting." he said. Cyborg led the way upstairs, his feet clanking on the metal steps. Claire's eyes were as wide as they could be and her mouth was open in astonishment. She could see that, once, this tower had been a great hive of activity, technology, and efficiency. She almost walked into Cyborg's back when he stopped to wait for the automatic doors to open.

Inside, she could feel the eyes of everyone on her, and she tried to make herself look creditable. Cyborg left her side and walked to stand next to a thin, green man. Opposite them stood a very elegant woman, with a faintly grey complexion and purple hair. She was the one who spoke first,

"Okay, kid, so what are you doing here?" she asked. Claire wilted under her gaze, but bristled at being called "kid".

"Like I said, I'm looking for someone."

"But you don't know who?" said Raven, raising her eyebrows.

" No, but I think it's one of you.You are the Teen Titans aren't you?" she knew they were, and could instantly identify each one. The green one was Beastboy, and the woman was Raven.

"Not anymore, we broke up." said Beastboy. Claire was taken back for a second.

"So you don't know where Robin is?" she said.

"We didn't say that. Just tell us what you're _really _doing here? Why do you think you're looking for one of us, as weird as that sounds?" said Beastboy. Claire looked around her at all the suspicious faces and sighed.

"I ran away from home." she said. "I came here 'cause there are some things I need to know that my mum won't tell me"

"And why do you think you'll find them here?" said Raven

"Because, my mum, she spent some time here" Claire didn't want to give too much away.

"What do you mean? Here in Jump City, or here in the Tower?" said Cyborg, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Here in the Tower." This seemed to have a deep affect on the three Titans, who instantly shot astonished looks at each other. Raven was the first one to draw herself together,

"What's your mother's name, Claire?"

"Correy" Raven and Cyborg stared in amazement at Claire, eyeing her up and down, taking in every aspect of her, Beastboy however was frowning in confusion.

"We don't know anybody named Correy" he said. Cyborg bent down and said something in his ear, something that made his eyes widen and stare at him just like the others had.

"You're Starfi-" he began but black energy sealed over his mouth, silencing him. Claire looked at Raven.

"Well, we'll call Nightwing – I mean Robin - for you if you call your mother" she said, holding out the phone. Claire took it reluctantly, and dialed for home.


	3. Reunion

Chapter 3

The Titans watched as Claire pressed the phone to her ear and waited. She didn't have to wait long as the phone was answered on the first ring.

……

"Yeah, it's me," she said, so presumably her mother had been waiting for her call. The Titans were standing a good few metres away but even they could hear the woman's shouts of relief, and anger. Claire winced,

"Mum, calm down, I'm fine"

……

"Er, the Titan Tower" she said, bracing herself for her mother's inevitable reaction. She relaxed steadily as nothing but silence came through the receiver.

……

"I need to know who I am, Mum!" Claire said trying to make her point while keeping her voice down. "And you sure as hell won't tell me!"

……

"Sorry, but come on…."

……

"Yes I know you're very dissapointed,"

……

"Oh no, don't give me that! We both know you wouldn't've taken me"

……

"No you wouldn't have"

……

"Yes, Mum, I won't Mum, Okay, I'm sorry for leaving, yes, I won't do it again. Okay, bye" With that Claire hung up the phone and turned to face her audience.

"She's coming to get me, but she won't be here for a few hours." she said. "So, can you call Robin now?" Raven sighed and walked towards Claire, leaning past her to get to the phone. This time the phone rang for some time before it was answered.

…..

"Hey, it's Raven"

…..

"There's someone here who I think you'd like to meet"

…..

"I can't really talk now, but trust me on this." They hung up without either of them saying goodbye. "He'll be here in fifteen minutes." she said turning back to the others. "And Claire, just so you know, he changed his name to Nightwing after we broke up." Claire nodded.

The four of them made awkward conversation for fifteen minutes, until the automatic doors announced Nightwing's arrival. This man was tall and well built, he had long black hair and he wore a mask and a black body suit with a blue bird insignia on the chest. He spotted Claire immediately and for a moment the two just looked at each other, his face completely emotionless.

"Nightwing, this is Claire" said Cyborg, breaking the silence and making the man shift his gaze to him. "She says her mother spent time here in the Tower." Nightwing frowned,

"Jinx?" he asked. This, of course, meant nothing to Claire.

"No, she says her mother's name is Correy" said Cyborg raising his eyebrows meaningfully. Nightwing's eyes widened and his head snapped to the left to stare at the girl sitting on the couch. He walked around to the other side to get the best view of her, she was also eyeing him all over. This went on for some minutes, and Nightwing's scrutiny was starting to make her uncomfortable,

"So did you know my mother or not?" she said.

"That depends, " Nightwing replied, "What does she look like?"

"Er, taller than me, brown hair, brown eyes," Nightwing frowned again, and looked at Raven questioningly.

"You said you came here looking for someone, someone you thought was one of us, why?" said Raven

"Er because they ….might be my…..father" Claire said quietly. Nightwing spluttered for a second before saying,

"How old are you?"

"Twelve"

"And how old's your mother?" Nightwing's questions were sounding more and more urgent.

"Twenty-eight" answered Claire, and she watched as he did the math, just like everyone else. "She had me when she was sixteen"

"Uh-huh. Raven, guys, can I see you outside for a second?" he said, and walked out of the room without waiting for an answer, the other Titans followed obligingly. Once outside, Nightwing turned to them, and said,

"Well I can see what you're getting at, and I have to admit that the time-line fits, the name…..is so-so, but the description is totally off. Besides the girl looks nothing like her."

"She could take after her father" mumbled Beastboy.

"I agree that the description is totally wrong," Raven said loudly, as if to erase Beastboys remark, "but as you said yourself the name, and the ages are a match. It's not impossible."

"No, it is impossible, Raven," interjected Nightwing quietly, " she's dead."

"But what if she's not, man?" said Cyborg, "What if that girls is who we think she is?" Nightwing said nothing, just looked in the direction of the room consideringly.

"Anyway, her mum's gonna come pick her up in a few hours, so we'll know for sure then." said Beastboy. Nightwing nodded thoughtfully.

The next hour and a half passed relatively slowly. The Titans asked Claire more questions, then she asked them some questions. In the end they were talking about the good old crime-fighting days when the front door buzzer rang. Beastboy, who was sitting nearest to the intercom, pressed the button and spoke into the mic,

"Who is it?" the whole room was completely silent, waiting with baited breath for the reply.

"I believe you have my daughter in there. I have come to retrieve her." The voice was deffinately feminine, but the distortion on the line made it difficult to tell anything else. Beastboy looked at Nightwing for instructions, and as a reply he leant across and pressed the door-release button. A minute later the doors slid open and a tall woman rushed in. She ran straight to Claire, dropping her hand bag and hugging her tightly.

"Oh Nightfire, I was so worried" she said. Meanwhile the former-Titans were staring at her, trying desparately to find resemblances between this distraught mother and their fallen comrade. Just as Claire had said, her hair was a dull brown, as were her eyes, and her complexion was perfectly normal, completely void of any orange. Nightwing didn't know if he was dissapointed, or relieved. If it had been his past love, then why hadn't she returned to him? But even so, the glimmer of hope he had felt had reopened the old wound of losing her, and he felt the crushing grief all over again.

"Nightfire?" said Raven quizzically. Claire turned in her mother's smothering embrace and said,

"That's what she calls me, it's like a nickname." The woman stood up and grabbed her daughters hand.

"We are going home, right now" she said as she began dragging the girl towards the door. Claire, Nightfire, however, was not planning on going easily. She wrenched her hand from her mother and said angrily,

"No, I still don't know who my father is! We can't go now!" the woman sighed,

"We can talk about this later, this isn't the place."

"It never is! Why don't you just tell me? I can handle it, whoever it is!"

"Nightfire, follow me, please"

"No!" the argument was escalating fast. Then Nightwing stepped in,

"Starfire?" he said it only quietly, but everyone heard him, and the woman froze in position. Slowly her eyes turned towards the man who was now looking at her attently.

"Nightfire, please, let's go" her words had taken on a more pleading tone, making her daughter soften and look at her puzzledly.

"Starfire?" he said again, pushing away from the counter and stepping towards them, "Is it really you?" His voice was full of pain and longing. The woman straightened out and, obviously avoiding looking at him, said to her daughter,

"I'll wait for you down stairs," She turned to go but Nightwing went after her and caught her arm before she could even leave the room. She spun around and looked at his hand one her arm. She looked scared. "Robin, let go of me" his hand dropped away slowly, but he was staring at her in disbelief. She realised too late what she had said.

"It _is_ you." said Nightwing, "Y-You called me Robin" He felt as if the world around him was melting away. The woman backed away as far as she could go, but it wasn't far before she hit the wall. Nightwing reached out a gloved hand and gently touched her face. She flinched. Regardless he drew his thumb across her cheek, revealing the faint orange underneath. She had closed her eyes, and now small tears ran down her cheek. He moved closer, to embrace her, but she ducked away and joined her daughter. Claire decided that now was the time to play her cards. She tugged on her mothers hand, like she did when she was younger, and asked

"Mama? Can we stay? Pleeease? It is the holidays…." Starfire looked around her, she saw the tears in her friends eyes, the hurt in Nightwing's, and the anticipation in her daughter's. It would be so much easier to leave, just to forget about everything and go back to their old life……She smiled weakly and stroked hair out of Nightfire's face,

"How could I say no to those big blue eyes?" She looked worriedly at Nightwing, and he looked at a loss, but then the arms of her lost friends engulfed her.


	4. Settling in

Chapter 4

Starfire kept her eyes on the steaming mug of tea that she held in her hands. She knew what was coming, and she dreaded it. They had sent Nightfire to her room, to unpack and give them time to work "stuff" out. No-one was speaking, the Titans were watching her, and she was watching her tea. The Titans were trying to think of questions they could ask, without breeching the major subject. Starfire had to have a reason for not coming back, right? And it had to be big, because they thought she loved them, right? And what about Nightfire? Meanwhile, Starfire was carefully planning her answers, to the questions she knew she'd have to answer eventually.

"Where have you _been_?" said Beastboy.

"New Harlem." she said. New Harlem was a bad city, full of slums, cheap diners, and strip clubs.

"You have a nice daughter" said Cyborg.

"Thank you," she said, and the silence closed in again. Starfire tried to seem at ease,

"She has three names, you know? Her real name, her Tameranian name is Korilaire. Laire means "gift" on Tameran. She chose Claire for herself, it kind of sounds the same, doesn't it? And Nightfire, I called her that because," her voice was becoming choked with emotion, " because she was born during the night on the fourth of July. I could see the sky through the window, and all the fireworks made it look like the whole world was celebrating her birth. Like a true princess." The room fell silent again and Starfire kept looking at her tea, she swirled it around a bit without drinking any. Nightwing's head was screaming questions, but he remained silent. There were so many that they eventually just fell into white noise.

"Do you want your old room back? We kept it just the way you left it" said Beastboy.

"Thank you" said Starfire. Why was this so hard? She put her still full mug down on the table and stood up. "I think I'm gonna go…..unpack" she said, and with that she turned and left the room. The Titans looked nervously at Nightwing, they remembered what he had been like after she'd left, but he was just standing there, not moving a muscle.

When Starfire got to her room, and unlocked the door for the first time in twelve years, it was like walking into a house that your bestfriend had died in. The curtains were closed, shrouding the room in darkness, and it smelled distinctly musty, but apart from that everything was just as she remembered it. She slowly walked towards her bed, running her fingers across her bedside table, she looked at them and saw a thick coating of dust. She looked away and was startled as she saw herself in an old mirror, also covered with dust. It suddenly struck her how much she had changed, she was no longer the happy, care-free girl she had been. Instead the woman she saw was sad and just a shell of a human being. She didn't even look like herself any more. The curtains waved in the faintest of breezes, and Starfire fell to her knees. She rested her arms on her bed and buried her head in her hands. Then she cried, she let all the emotion that was clogging her system to flow out of her. The regret, the loneliness, the guilt, everything just tore through her body. She was racked in sobs, loud and constant. She bunched the bed covers up in her hands and fell to the floor, letting the pain take control until she fell asleep.

She awoke a few hours later, feeling empty inside, but a good kind of empty, the kind that can be filled with good things. She wrestled herself to her feet and strolled over to the curtains. Grabbing them harshly, she threw them open and was blinded for a second by the sunlight. Turning to face the room, she felt the sadness creeping back because the light only threw the dust and dirt and cobwebs into sharp relief, but she pushed it away. Next she grabbed her make-up bag from her purse, she marched to the bathroom to fix her make-up, as much of it as there was. She flicked on the overhead halogen light and looked at herself. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were red from crying, and her foundation had been rubbed off on one cheek. She sighed and started to take it all off. Ten minutes later she looked somewhat like her old self. Her hair was still brown, she couldn't take the die off, but she'd taken out the contacts, so once again she was the orange-skinned, green-eyed alien-girl who had lived in the tower so long ago. She smiled, and looked at herself from all angles, before picking up her powder and starting to put everything back.

Another ten minutes later, she left her room in search of cleaning products, she treaded carefully, trying to go unnoticed. She wanted to stay in her denial for as long as possible, she didn't want to face the reality of her former team-mates hurt and questioning faces. She was succesful, and tiptoed back to her room, her arms full of rags and various polishes. She dumped them on her bed, and opened the windows wide, letting the summer air circulate through her room. She sighed as she began to clean, and was finished in an hour and a half.

Nightwing hadn't left the tower, he had gone to visit his old room. He flicked on the lights, and eyed his bare and dusty room. He had taken most of the furniture when he'd moved out. All that remained was an old chair, a small bedside table, and some newspaper clippings. He smiled as he remembered how obsessed with work he had been, even at such a young age. It wasn't a happy smile, he knew how much he'd missed out on. Playing video games with BB and Cy, going to quiet cafés with Raven, he had never learned to play the guitar, which he had always wanted to. He could have cooked with Starfire, that would've been fun, he never sat with her while she watched the sun go down…. How could that woman be his Starfire? He collapsed onto the chair and put his head in his hands. His eyes fell on the small table, with its one draw. He reached out and opened it, just for curiosity's sake, and he saw that there was a picture inside. He frowned and lifted it out. It was a picture of Starfire back when they had still been a team, she was facing away from the camera, but was looking over her shoulder and smiling. Smiling at him. He remembered now, there had been a lul in crime, so they had all gone to the park. They had been playing with frizzbees, and she was just about to throw it when he came up behind her with the camera. He'd called her name, and she'd turned and saw him, and smiled. He must have missed it when he'd packed his things. God, how many nights had he lain awake, staring at that photo, trying to find the courage to tell her how he felt? And what had happened when he did? She was taken prisoner and killed. Except, of course, that she hadn't been. Nightwing shook his head, what the hell would happen next?


	5. Heal a broken heart

Chapter 5

Nightfire had Beastboy, Cyborg and Raven in her room. The young girl was cleverer than she looked, but not subtle.

"So, guys, what's up with Nightwing and my mum, huh?" she said. The Titans looked at each other. How much did she know?

"Er, well, we were a tight-knit team you know?" said Beastboy.

"Yeah and he just took it the hardest when she left, that's all" said Cyborg.

"That's all?" said Nightfire suspiciously.

"So, what do you prefer? Nightfire or Claire?" asked Raven, changing the subject. Nightfire, let it drop in the interest of being a good guest.

"Well, I can't be among super-heroes and have a name like Claire, can I?" she said.

Cyborg laughed, "I guess not," he said.

"Although, I mean, Why did my mum have to call me Nightfire? It makes me sound like some kinda wierdo." she said.

"No it doesn't" said Beastboy.

"Yeah it does. She's always doing stuff like that, she can be a real freak sometimes, it's embarrassing." she said.

"Hey girl, don't talk about your mother that way. She's also our friend you know," said Cyborg.

"Sorry, but you don't know what it's like. I have the worst genes ever….."

The Titans didn't realise that Starfire was just outside the door. They didn't realise that she could hear every word, and they didn't realise that her heart was breaking. Starfire dropped her armful of cleaning products that she had been on her way to return, and ran back to her room in tears.

Nightwing left his room and was walking to the kitchen for a snack. His steps were heavy, and not just because of the steel toecaps and heel. He knew he was approaching Starfire's room. No matter what, he always noticed, whether he wanted to or not. This time was different, because as he drew nearer, he could hear the sound of crying floating through the door. He stopped, he was concerned, but he was unsure what to do._ She's still Starfire_ he thought, making up his mind.

Starfire only just heard the sound of knocking over her sobs. She got up and opened the door without thinking about it. When she saw Nightwing standing there she hid her face behind her arm that was holding the door open.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" he said. Starfire wanted to throw herself into his arms and tell him everything, wanted desperatly to be in his heart again, but she couldn't do it.

"Oh nothing," she said, trying to smile convincingly, and failing. Her lip trembled and she collapsed into tears again, covering her face in her hands. Nightwing carefully stepped past her into her room and closed the door. He guided her over to the bed and knelt in front of her. He gently prised her hands away from her face,

"Don't tell me this is nothing, Star." he said. Starfire looked at him, and seeing his concerned face looking up at her and feeling his hands on her wrists brought back old memories and she twisted her head to the side, her hair spilling over her shoulder. Then she felt his gloved hand gently cupping her face and she turned back to him. She looked down at the eyes that she knew were a clear crystal-blue behind his mask.

"Starfire…." he said. It suddenly struck her how handsome he had become. He had a strong jaw and his ebony hair fell in thick falls over his broad shoulders. She told him what she had heard Nightfire say. Silently he moved up onto the bed next to her, she started to cry again, he put his arm around her.

"Come on Star, you know what teenagers are like. Do you remember what you and Galfor were like?" she smiled and nodded, but it still hurt inside. "But that didn't mean that you didn't love him." Starfire sighed and lifted her head up to look properly at him.

"Thank you, you always did know how to cheer me up." she said, and in that moment it seemed as if no time had passed between them and they were still friends. Suddenly, Starfire remembered her make-up, "Oh my god, I must look awful" she said.

"I think you look beautiful" Nightwing said quietly and they just looked into each others eyes for a moment, before looking away, embarassed. Nightwing took his arm back and Starfire stood up. It suddenly occurred to him that he was in her room.

"I'm gonna go fix my make-up," she said.

"Okay but can you…..can you let me see you without it? Just once?" he said. Starfire nodded slowly.

A few minutes later she emerged in full glory. Nightwing could only stare and try not to say anything stupid. Starfire ran her hand through her hair embarrassedly and smile, she felt naked without it after so long. He extended a hand to her, and after barely a moments consideration, she took it. He pulled her down next to him,

"Why do you wear all that make-up, when you look so beautiful without it?" he said in awe. Starfire sighed,

"I'm orange, that doesn't really help if you're trying not to be noticed, or recognised. I had to get a job, get Nightfire into school, I had to make myself blend in. I don't mind." she said. Her daughter's words still present in her mind, she sighed and put her head in her hands, it felt good not to have to worry about smudging anything. "Oh Nightfire…." she whispered, "It really hurts my heart to know that my child is embarassed by me, Robin. Er, Nightwing"

"Robin's fine," he said, "reminds me of better days." Starfire looked at him. She remembered that one night they had spent together as teenagers, remembered how good it had felt to give everything she could to him, and he to her. It was already evening, and her open curtains gave perfect view of the rising moon and the ripling waves. Slowly, she raised herself and, keeping eye contact, leant in for a kiss. Their kiss was gentle and unsteady at first, but then something clicked, their bodies remembered each other, and they knew they didn't have to be afraid. Her kiss was just as sweet as he remembered, his arms were just as strong as she had hoped. They broke apart, but stayed close. Starfire looked at him, her eyes half-closed,

"Make the pain go away, Robin," she said "The way that only you can" Nightwing felt as if the world had just dropped into his lap, and was about to move in to do exactly as she'd asked, when something stopped him. Enfuriated, he asked himself what it was, and he realised he couldn't go on.

"I can't," he choked, and lower half of his body cursed him viciously, "it would be taking advantage." Starfire blinked.

"I don't understand…" she said. Nightwing sighed,

"You only want to sleep with me because you're hurting inside. If we go through with this, you'll regret it in the morning." Starfire frowned and leant way from him, she tried to consider what he had said, but she was hurt by being rejected,

"I'm not……attractive, anymore?" she said. Nightwing's eyes widened in that special expression that only men can pull, when they realise the woman they love is about to get upset.

"No, no, it's not that," he hastened, "Of course I still think you're attractive! You're the single most beautiful, sensual, alluring girl, woman I've ever met! Tonight is just not the right time" He meant what he'd said, and he just wished she knew how much. "Come back any other time, and I'll be there, trust me." he said, laughing for emphasis. Starfire nodded slowly, her anger dissapating. "How about this? I'll stay here tonight, and do what I can to help heal your heart" Starfire opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off, "But not that." he said. Starfire smiled and he slowly lay down on the bed, pulling her with him. He held her close to him with his arm tight around her waist. She had her back to him so they fit together perfectly, her soft hair pillowed at the base of her neck, and Nightwing couldn't resist caressing it with his cheek. They both closed their eyes, and as they lay there they could here the waves breaking on the shore below. Just before Starfire was completely asleep, he heard her softly whisper,

"I love you, Robin." And before he could reply she was gone.

"I love you too, Starfire" he whispered to her closed eyes and he kissed her on the cheek before falling asleep himself.


	6. Nightfire's History

Chapter 6

When Starfire awoke the next morning, and felt something move against her back, she freaked. She leapt out of the bed and stared, panting, at the black length of Nightwing. Obviously, her movements had roused him from his sleep, and since he was never less than fully awake, he was looking at her but keeping perfectly still so as not to frighten her any further. He had expected this, but he regretted not being able to hold her for just a little bit longer, even if he had been asleep. She relaxed as she first recognised him, then remembered the night before. She smiled and ran a hand through her hair, and he smiled back. Just then they heard a knock on the door, and a voice said

"Starfire? Can I come in?" It was Raven. The two inside looked at each other, one thought clear on their faces._ She can't find us together in here._ Nightwing got off the bed with surprising speed and grace, and whispered to Starfire,

"If you fly out the window, you can get Nightfire to let you in her room, then you can distract Raven and lead her away while I get out." Starfire looked guilty,

"Maybe she'll go away on her own if we're quiet…." she said hopefully. Nightwing looked at her questioningly, and she begged him with her eyes not to ask. Nightwing pulled out his communicator out and dialled for Cyborg, he just hoped he was alone. Sure enough Cyborg's voice came clearly through the communicator,

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. Listen, I need you to get Raven away from Starfire's door." said Nightwing. There was a pause, then they heard Cyborg's deep chuckle and he said,

"You sly dog……"

"Just do it" Nightwing didn't sound impatient, he sounded happy, and on closer inspection you could see he was suppressing a smile. Another laugh, and the line went dead. Nightwing snapped the device shut, and looked at Starfire,

"Why did I just have to do that?" he asked, Starfire looked at her shoes, but kept her mouth shut. "Another thing your not gonna tell me?" he said. she said.

"Then give me the short version, give me anything. Any answers are better than no answers." Starfire looked at him, _he deserves to know something………_ she thought. She sighed,

"I can't use my powers anymore." she said.

"What? Why not?"

"Like I said, I was trying to blend in. So I stopped using them and now I don't think they work anymore. It's like they're jammed." she said.

"Have you tried?"

"Not really…."

"Then how do you know?" he asked.

"I can just feel it," she said, "My unbridled joy is not so unbridled, and not so joyous. And I haven't felt righteous fury in twelve years, just self-pity. The only thing that makes me happy is Nightfire and look at what she thinks of me."

"If you could have your powers back, would you want them?" asked Nightwing. Starfire thought about it,

"Yes, I would. The happiest time of my life was when I was a Titan, and my powers would remind me that I was hero, even if I'm not anymore." she finished. Nightwing put his hands on her upper arms and said,

"In my eyes, you still are." He was about to kiss her when they heard Cyborg's deep bass voice outside the door,

"Okay, Cassanova, you free to come out now" Nightwing waited before they heard his retreating footsteps before quickly kissing a startled Starfire, and darting out of the room. Starfire, left alone in her purple surroundings, slowly touched where he had kissed her, and blushed while smiling.

Down in the main room, a few minutes later, Nightfire appeared. She was wearing black trousers, with a white, sleeveless top with blue trimmings. The thing with this was that it showed all of her arms, and the Titans couldn't help but stare at the mark at the top of her upper arm. A mark that represented so much pain and hurt in their lives. It was a jagged S, Slade's mark. The Titans didn't know quite what to say. Oblivious, Nightfire strolled over to the couch and sat down. Slowly she became of aware of the stares of everyone around her.

"What?" she asked.

"Um, how'd you get the mark on your arm?" asked Beastboy eventually. Nightfire looked at it instinctively then covered it with her hand and blushed, it was one of her few insecurities.

"It's just a birthmark, my mum has one the same." she said. This just made them even more uneasy, because they knew that, last time they saw her, Starfire did NOT have any such "birthmark". Their thoughts were interrupted by Nightwing's entrance through the big, heavy doors.

_Nightwing,_ Raven's voice rang in his head and he looked over to her,_ look at Nightfire's arm, the left one._ Nightwing glanced at the girl on the couch, and moved so he could see her arm but she couldn't see him doing it. The moment he laid eyes on that S, his blood boiled. _She says Starfire has one the same, she thinks it's a birthmark _sent Raven. Nightwing, of course, knew what that S meant. Slade obviously hadn't killed Starfire, but that …._brand_ meant that he had kept her prisoner, along with her daughter. It was time, decided Nightwing, for the truth to come out.

He marched out of the room, with the others following worriedly behind him. They were unsure what he was about to do, anything was possible. Nightfire was only following because she knew something big was going down, and that her birthmark had set it off. When Starfire opened the door, and saw them all standing there, Nightwing with determination set on his face, the others looking worried, and Nightfire looking curious with her left shoulder visible to the world, Starfire quickly evaluated the situation.

"Let me explain it to her first" she said. Nightwing paused, then nodded and stepped back. "Nightfire, you've always wanted to know the story of your birth, your origins." Nightfire nodded eagerly, "Well it looks like the time has come for you to find out." Starfire held the door open, and her daughter walked in. Starfire turned to her friends, "I promise I will tell you everything, but she has a right to know where she comes from." she said.

"We understand," said Raven.

"We'll be waiting downstairs for you when your done." said Nightwing. Starfire nodded, and closed the door. She turned the girl on her bed._ God, where do I start?_ she thought.

"I guess I'd better start with me," she said. "Nightfire, I am not actually human." She waited for this to sink in before continuing," I come from a planet called Tamerran, very far from Earth. I came to Earth when I was the equivalent of fourteen. Back then, Raven, Beastboy, Cyborg and Nightwing, although he was called Robin back then, were a team of crime-fighters called the Teen Titans." Nightfire, of course, knew all this, but she didn't want to stop her mother from revealing what she had been dieing to know since she was old enough to know you need two people to make a baby. Starfire continued, " They welcomed me onto their team and I fought by their side for many months, the happiest months of my life. They became my best friends, one of them even more than a friend. But there was one man who despised us, a criminal named Slade. He hated Robin the most, and he knew that Robin cared for his team-mates more than anything else, so he kidnapped me. He made it look like he had killed me, but he hadn't. Everyday, he would give me an injection to suppress my powers, flight and these sort of energy balls called "starbolts"" Starfire wasn't sure how to describe her starbolts to someone who'd never seen them. " Anyway, he would beat and torment me, but he kept me alive, because the thing he wanted most, besides hurting Robin, was an apprentice. He knew I'd rather die, but I was pregnant with you, and it was you he wanted. He hoped you'd have my powers because you were half Tamerranian. God, everyday I would dream of seeing my friends again, but they never came. It almost drove me mad, but I knew I had to stay healthy for you." Starfire touched her daughter's face lovingly. "Eventually, nine months past and I went into labour. It took sixteen hours, Slade wanted it to be a natural birth, something about life not be easy. Anyway, it was good he did because in all the confusion he forgot to give me my injection. My powers came back just as you passed from my body. I was exhausted, but the moment I saw him sear your flesh with his signature," Nightfire looked at her birthmark, realising it's horrific history at last. Starfire spoke with such hate as she continued, " just as he had done to me, marking you as his own, marking _you,_ the embodiment of the love that two heroes shared, for evil…Let me explain to you how my powers worked. To fly I needed to feel unbridled joy, but for starbolts I needed to be feeling righteous fury, and boy was I feeling it then. My extra, Tamerranian strength allowed me to last long enough to blast Slade's lair into the ground, and the joy I felt from holding your tiny, living form in my arms allowed me to fly to the nearest city, where I collapsed outside a free-clinic. And the rest is history."

Starfire watched her daughter for any signs of anger, or hate but when her daughter turned her eyes up to her mother, they held nothing but the highest esteem. Silently she rose and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, and the two women just held each other.

"Do you have any questions?" said Starfire softly. She felt her daughter shake her head against her chest. Nightfire was too overwhelmed by all this to ask questions, but no doubt she'd think of some for later. "Okay, in that case I have to go down stairs and explain everything to all my old friends. Do you want to come or do you want to stay up here and be alone for a bit?" she asked,

"I'll stay up here." Nightfire didn't think she could face anyone just yet.

"Okay" Starfire hugged her daughter tightly, then turned and walked out the door. Nightfire slowly trudged back to her room, where she collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling and digesting the story of her heritage which she had just heard. _Tamerranian,_ she thought, _that would certainly explain this…_Nightfire held her hand up in front of her face, thought about what Slade had done to her pregnant, teenage mother, and watched as it glowed a bright, fiery blue.


	7. Resolutions

Chapter 7

For the second time in two days, Starfire found herself sitting on the couch, with a mug of hot tea in her hands, and everyone surrounding her's eyes on her.

"So where do you want to start?" she said, "At the beginning? With Nightfire? Or is there something particular bothering you?" She didn't mean to sound angry, but she didn't know how else to breech the subject.

"How are you still alive?" said Cyborg at last. Having just recounted her whole imprisonment a few minutes earlier, she gave them the abbreviated version.

"Slade's injection wasn't fatal. It was a drug designed to make it look like it had killed me. He kept me alive in a cell, using more drugs to suppress my powers."

"How did you escape?" asked Raven.

"When I went into labour with Nightfire, he couldn't give me the injection, and it took so long that the effects wore off and I got my powers back." she replied.

"Did you kill him?" said Beastboy, but before Starfire could answer, Nightwing cut her off,

"No, I did." he said darkly. They all looked at him, "I spent everyday after you left, tracking down Slade. I guess half of me wouldn't believe that you were really dead. And after about a year, I found him. I went to his hiding place and got the revenge that he had wanted so badly. But it must have been too late to find you." he finished sadly.

"You never told us about that" said Raven. Nightwing looked at her and smiled patronisingly,

"You can't fight the good fight with blood on your hands" he said. There was silence for a moment, then Nightwing turned back to Starfire, "I have a question for you, Why didn't you come back?" he asked. Suddenly the attention directed at her was doubled. She sighed and took a moment to consider her answer.

"I was confused, I was both physically and emotionally exhausted, and I had a baby to care for. It was weeks before I could even remember where you lived, let alone where I was. I also had to deal with countless people recognising me, when all I wanted was to curl up into a ball, and feel nothing. By the time I was discharged, I had medical bills to pay, so I needed a job, and a place to stay. I was swallowed up in it all. Time passed and eventually I just told myself that it was for the best. I couldn't be a Titan with a small child in tow."

"But how could you let us think you were dead?" said Beastboy. Starfire looked down at her tea and said nothing, shame burning within her. He shook his head in disgust, he didn't mean it, he was just so upset and he needed an outlet.

"So what about Nightfire?" said Raven.

"What about her?"

"Does she have powers? You know, anything we should know?"

"Nightfire has not inherited my powers, and I'm grateful. All I want for her is a good life, bad things happen when every criminal in the city is your enemy. And she has a good heart, I know she'd want to become a super-hero if she could."

Another silence,

"Nightwing tells us you can't use your powers anymore" said Cyborg. Starfire looked at Nightwing and he looked away, slightly embarrassed. "It's okay, we understand, I just thought we could go see if we could fire up the old righteous fury." he continued, getting excited at the prospect of flashes and bangs. Starfire smiled, just like old times.

"Sure," she said, putting down her mug and getting to her feet as everyone else headed for the door. Nightwing was bringing up the rear and she caught his arm, she had one last thing to say. "I just want you to know," she said " that I never forgot you. I thought about you every minute of every day when Slade had me. You kept me sane, and I don't doubt that I would have taken my life if not for the prospect of seeing you again. And afterwards, I thought about you whenever I thought I couldn't handle it all, you gave me the strength I needed to care for our daughter." Nightwing's eyes widened,

"_Our_ daughter?" he said.

"Of course, who else? I'm sorry, I thought you would have figured it out by now." she said, worried that he would hate the idea of having a child.

"I had my suspicions but…..Oh my god," Nightwing wrapped his arms around Starfire and pulled her close, "Now, not only are you the woman I love, but the mother of my child. And I couldn't ask for more," he said. "Starfire, I love you, I always have and I always will, when I thought I'd lost you……." he shook his head, "but now to have you back, is like a dream, and I'm never waking up. Starfire, don't go back to New Harlem. Stay here, with me." he said. Starfire opened her mouth to protest that what good was she if she didn't have her powers, but Nightwing stopped her, "Oh, I _don't care_ if you can fly, or lift a car above your head, or shoot people with green, alien energy, I never did. I love you for who you _are_, Starfire, and I can only hope that you love me too," Starfire quickly nodded her head,

"I do love you, Robin, so much."

"Then stay, stay and…..marry me." Starfire's breath caught in her throat and it was a second before she could reply,

"Yes! Of course, of course!" she yelled, and Nightwing picked her up and swung her around, making her squeal with delight. When he put her down, they eyes were locked, and they didn't even notice as they came together and kissed deeply.

"I told you," said Beastboy from the doorway, quietly, so as not to disturb the euphoric couple.

"Alright, alright," said Cyborg, handing over a wad of bills. Raven frowned,

"I can't believe you two bet on whether or not Nightwing was the girl's father." she said. Beastboy looked at her in shock,

"Of course we didn't, we bet on whether or not he would ask her to marry him today." he said.

"Or tomorrow." said Cyborg.

"He asked who to marry him?" The Titans looked behind them and there was Nightfire, craning her neck to see into the living room. The Titans stepped back to give her a clear view of the entwined heroes. Her eyes widened,

"Woah, way to go, Mom" she said.

A few minutes later, they were all gathered in the old gym, Starfire standing in the middle of the mats feeling self-concious. Nightwing was in front and facing her, the others were up against the wall, watching, and Nightfire was sitting cross-legged on the bench-press. Her grin was perpetual, she was so proud to have a mother like Starfire.

"Okay so what do you want to try first?" said Nightwing, still smiling from earlier.

"Er, flying, that might be easiest." she said. She closed her eyes and straightened her back. She could still feel the fading warmth that Nightwing's proposal had given her, but it wasn't enough. She focused on it and replayed the scene in her head, including the kiss at the end. She forced to herself to feel his arms around her, to recall the smell of his hair, and the colour of his eyes, that she'd seen once, when they were younger. A huge grin spread across her face, she couldn't help herself, but her feet stayed firmly on the ground. So she switched to her best memories of her daughter. The strong, eager hugs she'd given her when she was too young to be embarrassed, which led to the memory of what she had overheard, wrecking her confidence. She quickly pushed that away and tried to remember what it felt like to be flying instead. She remembered the night of her and Robin's first kiss, it had been on the rooftop, with the setting sun casting a beautiful array of colours across the sky. He'd gone back inside afterwards, but before she followed, she'd turned spirals and loops in the air, she'd soared as high as she could go, until the Tower was just a dot on the land below, carried by his affection. Starfire tried to feel the sensation of being supported by joy through every inch of her body. She sighed, try as she might, the ground still pressed against her feet. She opened her eyes and hung her head. Nightwing put an arm around her,

"It's okay, no-one expected you to get it first time round," he said. "Do you want to try starbolts?" Starfire didn't think she could handle the failure and dissapointment,

"Not today, I'm just gonna go to my room." she said, and she turned on her heel and hastened from the gym.

No-one said anything. Nightwing ran a hand through his hair,

"I'm gonna go talk to her" he said, but Raven stopped him.

"No, she feels like she's dissapointing us. It would be best if someone who wasn't a Teen Titan goes to talk to her." They all turned to look at Nightfire, who slid of the bench and walked silently after her mother.

Starfire wasn't crying, she was just sitting, slouching on her bed, staring into space. When the knock on the door came, and Nightfire's voice floated through, she only opened the door because she was too depressed to muster the will to keep it closed.

"Er, hey Mum" said Nightfire, who so did not know where to begin. Starfire just left the door open and resumed her position on the bed without speaking a word. Nightfire closed the door and stood in front of her mother. She decided that since she didn't know how to be tactful about this, she would be completely direct.

"Look, I know you think you're useless but you're not." Starfire remained silent. "So what if you can't use your powers now? That doesn't mean you never will be able to again." Nightfire hoped she wasn't going to far.

"On Tamerran," Starfire began quietly, "even new-borns can fly"_ okay, this is bad_ thought Nightfire,

"Okay, but think about it this way, that means it's like, in your genes. So they're still there, you just need to re-awaken them."

"But what if I can't? then I really will be useless, I will be a dead-weight, and Nightwing will certainly not love me then. You already think I'm a disgrace, and you didn't know me when I had my powers." Nightfire was shocked,

"When did you hear that?" she asked.

"I heard you talking with the others in your room yesterday." said Starfire. Nightfire's heart sank, she hadn't wanted to hurt her mother.

"Yeah, but I definately don't feel that way anymore. I am totally proud to have you as a mother. Who else can say that they're parents were Teen Titans, who fought crime like everyday and had super-powers? No-one I bet. You're totally the coolest mother in the world, I realised when you where telling me about my birth just how strong you are. I wouldn't change you for the world, and neither would my father." Starfire stared at her daughter,  
"You know about Nightwing?" she asked.

"Mom, please, I'm twelve, I'm not blind." said Nightfire. "I dunno what things were like back when you were teenagers, but I don't think these people judge you, or think any less of you for not having your powers, at all. I think they love you. Every last one. So don't be such an insecure, kill-joy. You've been reunited with your friends after twelve years, they are nothing but happy to see you alive." Starfire smiled at her girl,

"Where do you get this stuff? You weren't so wise last time I checked." she said.

"Must be from Nightwing," replied Nightfire. Her mother pulled her into a one armed hug, and it was then that the alarm sounded, except this one announced an attack on the Tower itself.


	8. The Fall of the Titans

Chapter 8

Starfire's first instinct was to protect her daughter, and to do that she had to remember everything she knew from her crime-fighting days. She turned to her daughter, who was looking worried at the high-pitched claxons going off around her.

"Nightfire, this alarm means that someone is attacking the Tower. We are going to leave this room. I am going to make sure the coast is clear, then you are going to run, do you hear me? Run to the end of this hall, where there is a panic room. The door is hidden, but if you pull out the fourth bannister-support from the top, the _fourth from the top_, then a panel will appear. You have to enter a code, that code is 9487, repeat it."

"9487" repeated Nightfire.

"Good. You will hide in the panic room, and lock the door, until I come for you. There are security cameras in there that show every room in the Tower, you can watch if you like. Now, I am _not_ going to fight whoever this is, I am only going to see what I can find out, but if any of this doesn't work, if something goes wrong, there is a cupboard next to the room. I want you to hide in there, I know it sounds stupid, but just do it."

"Maybe it's just a false alarm." Nightfire said weakly.

"Maybe" said Starfire unconvincingly. She stroked her daughter's hair lovingly. "I love you" she said. Then she grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her towards the door. She opened it inch by inch and looked out, the sirens were even louder outside. Starfire stepped out into the corridor, then she spun around and said to Nightfire,

"Okay, Go, Go!" Nightfire ran. She ran to the end of the corridor and up the stairs like a bat out of Hell. The whole time she was terrified she would forget something vital, screw up and get herself, or worse, her mother, killed. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if her mother died trying to save her. She reached the top of the stairs, and had to turn back to count four supports from the top. She wrenched the fourth every whichway, until it gave way and shot out away from her. She heard a click as the electronic panel slid out of the wall. She hurled herself to her feet, and dialed in the code. Little lights flashed and she replayed her mothers words in her head, checking and rechecking that she hadn't made a mistake. Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes, a separate panel in the wall slid away, to reveal a small, metallic room. She dashed inside and the door automatically closed. In there, you could hardly hear the sirens, and the sudden silence pressed on her ears, making her heart beat even faster. Every second was like an hour, but she became more aware of her surroundings, and she remembered the security cameras. She could see the screens piled against the wall and she crawled towards them. She looked for the controls, and pressed a nearby green button hopefully. The screens sprang to life, startling her. She saw the hole in the wall, the smoke in the living room, the men in black jogging through the Tower.

The doors opened, and she screamed. She stopped however when she recognised her mother. The doors slid closed again, and her mother pulled her into a giant hug and they settled to watch the screens together, always keeping one eye on the one showing the hall outside. The smoke in the living room had cleared, and they watched the brutal battle unfold. They didn't say a word, just knelt and watched as hundreds upon hundreds of people all in black flooded the Tower. The Titans were fighting bravely, knocking down invaders by the handful, but it seemed that for everyone they knocked down, three more took it's place. One by one, Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg were overwhelmed and ……..drugged? Until only Nightwing remained standing. He was surrounded, and there was no way he could have won, but he still fought, his bow-staff spinning dangerously in his hand. He moved so fast he was hard to follow, but the circle of intruders tightened around him, and then there was nowhere to move to, and he too fell.


	9. The Rise of Heros

Chapter 9

Silence reigned in the small, silverene room. The attackers had left a minute ago, through the hole the had created, but the two girls inside still felt the adrenaline and fear, and were unwilling to move. The invaders hadn't even come looking for them, so Starfire guessed that they hadn't known they were there at all. It was Nightfire that climbed to her feet first, and opened the door. Her first steps were shaky and careful, ready to dart back to the metal sanctuary, and Starfire went after her. They headed first to the main room where the fight had taken place, and stood motionless in the face of the giant hole in the wall. The setting sun could be seen through it, and that just seemed to make it worse. A thick level of sawdust and debris covered everything,

"Who were they?" said Nightfire, a cold breeze swept through the room making the dust stir briefly.

"I don't know" replied Starfire, equally dead-pan. Nightfire turned to look at her mother.

"What are we going to do?" she said. Starfire shrugged, completely lost. She was used to not having her powers but as the shock wore off and the anger and fear for her friends safety sunk in, she wished she had them more than ever. She looked at her daughter, she was pale and her eyes looked vacant. Starfire imagined she looked the same. She walked to what remained of the kitchen and started opening cupboards.

"What are you doing?" said Nightfire.

"Making us a drink, we're in shock" She went in search of tea-bags as the kettle boiled. Nightfire was also regaining her senses, and she felt that blind frustration that teenagers get for their parents. She was making a _drink_! Her friends, her father had just been kidnapped, and could be being hurt right now, and she was making a _drink_! The kettle started to whistle and Starfire poured the water into two mugs with tea bags already in them. Then she reached down into the fridge and got out a bottle of some indistinct alcohol, she poured some into her mug, then paused and looked behind her at her daughter. The girl just stood there, so Starfire put some in her mug too, but not nearly as much. Then she stirred them and put them on the counter in Nightfire's reach. Nightfire took a sip and decided it didn't taste all that bad. Starfire sat down and drank her tea, going over things in her mind. What could they do? Neither of them had powers, they didn't know where they had been taken, though they could find them………What about the police? Too slow. Nightfire however, wasn't being as rational. All she knew was she couldn't lose her father, not after finding him after so long. She downed the rest of her tea and marched over to stand in front of her mother.

"We have to go after them." she stated. Starfire's eyes rolled up to look at her, but she didn't say anything. "We have to. Who knows what's being done to them? We can't just let them be killed, or tortured or who knows what else? He's my father, I can't lose him now." Starfire still didn't say anything. She knew there was nothing they could do.

"Nightfire, we have to trust that they can get themselves out of this." she said.

"But what if they can't? I don't think those guys were playing around. They sent so many to the Tower, imagine how many there must be back at …..headquarters or whatever."

"Darling, please try to understand that there's nothing we can do! We don't have powers, and we don't know how to fight. We're helpless." Starfire hated admitting it just as much as Nightfire hated hearing it.

"Mom, please! I know you can do it, you used to be a Teen Titan! That sort of thing doesn't just go away! Even after twelve years, I believe you still have your powers, and even if you don't, you still have the training and techniques needed for this sort of thing." Nightfire implored. Starfire looked away from her,

"Fine" said Nighfire, " Then help me." Starfire sighed,

"Nightfire, you know as well as I do that you can't save them"

"Yes I can! Mom, I can!" Starfire grew suspicious at her daughters sure tone, and she looked at up her again. Nightfire's shoulders slumped and she held up her hand. She looked at it and concentrated, and sure enough, in a second it was enveloped in a fiery blue energy. Starfire froze in place, she reached out to touch her daughter's hand, and the minute her fingers entered the blue circle, it swarmed over her hand. Starfire felt the pain and pulled away, she looked at her hand and saw the burns. It was real tamerranian energy, alright. Starfire felt proud of her daughter, but also afraid for her safety. She stood up and hugged her daughter as strong as she could, and she didn't even have to fight to breath.

"Can you fly aswell?" she asked.

"No, it's just this."

Starfire grabbed her daughter's hand and dragged her to the gym. She pulled a cover cloth off the wall, revealing special targets put up for her back when she was a Titan. She walked back to where Nightfire was standing.

"Try and hit those." she said. Nightfire had never actually tried her powers out, she knew enough to know that the energy was supposed to fly from her hand, but she didn't know how. Eager not to dissapoint her mother, she looked at the targets and held out her hand. The fire lit up, and Nightfire tried to will it to hit the target. Nothing happened. Starfire took her wrist and positioned it slightly further back.

"You have to try to throw it. Cast it forward at the same time as letting it go."

Nightfire looked back at the target. She felt the power all up her arm, and she threw her arm forward in the direction of the target, at the same time as picturing herself dropping it. The energy didn't so much fly from her hand as fall from it, but it left a nice black mark on the mat.

"You need to be really bursting with righteous fury to get it to go far." said Starfire.

Nightfire really wanted this to work. She thought of the time a kid a boy at school had been bullying her, and gone unpunished, so she'd told her mum and Starfire had written a note to the teacher and then the teacher had yelled at _her_ for telling. She let the feelings swirl and grow, then she threw her hand forward, harder this time. The blue fire-ball fell short of the target by only a couple of inches. Starfire took her shoulders and pushed her forward a bit.

"Try from here." she said._ God, what am I doing?_ she thought,_ Why am I teaching her to fight?_ Nightfire tried again, charging her energy, then launching it. It hit the side of the target, damaging it nicely. She turned and smiled eagerly at her mother, who ruffled her hair and said,

"You're a natural."

"So can we try and find the others now?" said Nightfire, "Please?"

" Nightfire, I've already explained to you, we _can't_ save them" Nightfire looked angry,

"You know what Mom? You suck, you're just a coward. You were a hero, and how does a person just walk away from that? Well it looks like you've found a way. Sure, I used to think you were like, this total embarrasment, but then I thought you were cool. Right now it looks like I was right the first time." she said. Her words stung her mother more than she knew, and Starfire turned her back on her and started to walk towards the door.

"Okay, Mom, consider this then, how will you live with yourself if you let him die?" Starfire slowed, her daughter was right. But if they were gonna do this, then they had to do it right. She turned to her daughter,

"Alright Nightfire, you win, but this is not a game. You have to understand that what we are about to do is probably life or death." Nightfire nodded. Starfire paused, she still wasn't sure she could do this. She would be putting her child in serious danger, could she handle it? _Everybody deserves the chance to fight for those they love_ she thought. "Good, you're gonna have to do exactly what I say, okay?"

"Yes"

"Okay, go to your room, put on suitable clothes, jeans, a sweater, that sort of thing. Then meet me back here." Nightfire took off, and Starfire stared after her, before going to her room to change aswell.

Fifteen minutes later, the two women met back at the gym. Their clothes were dark, and nothing fancy. Their long hair was tide up and out of the way. Nightfire was ringing her hands, she was starting to get scared, although she still didn't regret her decision. Starfire silently walked over to a wall and pressed a button. The wall slid away to reveal various knives and guns and other weapons. Nightfire stared at them, normally a sight like that, she would have just thought it was cool,but the knowledge that she would be using them, and that she would _need_ to use them made her blood chill. The edges of the platinum blades glinted maliciously in the harsh, florecent light. Starfire looked at her,

"You don't have to go through with this" she said. Nightfire shook her head,

"I have to"

"Okay" Starfire reached up and took down two small daggers and handed them to her.

"Don't cut yourself." she said. Nightfire wanted to laugh, but she found she couldn't. She noted that the daggers were too small to be any good except at close range. She strapped them on to her wrists, and looked up to see her mother strapping knives on aswell. She gulped as she saw her mother slide a small sword into a sheath along her spine, the hilt hidden by her ponytail.

"Mom, jesus, are you going to be okay with that?" she asked.

"On Tamerran, swords are very special. The royal family receive extensive training."

"Oh, and are you in the royal family?" Nightfire scoffed, expecting the answer to be no.

"Yes, and the rightful heir to the throne since my sister Blackfire got thrown in prison."

"What!" Nightfire was shocked, but she shook it off. This wasn't the time. Starfire then took down a small handgun and slipped it into the waistband of her trousers in the small of her back.

"Can I have a gun?" asked Nightfire,

"No, I don't trust your aim" replied Starfire. Nightfire was hurt but she knew her mother was right. Then her mother took down a shotgun, and Nightfire was shaking in her boots,

"Are we gonna need that?" she asked. Starfire stopped and her expression softened into a more motherly affection.

"I don't know, but I can't leave it up to chance. And don't you agree that this will come in handy if we're faced with a room of people who want to hurt us?" Nightfire nodded. Now they were truly prepared.


	10. The Siege

Chapter 10

They used the communicators to track their stolen comrades. Starfire was worried because this seemed a little too easy, but she didn't say anything to Nightfire. Their plan was to get as far as they could, unnoticed. They wouldn't kill unless they had to, but they would if the need arose, which they both knew it would. Starfire would walk in front and do most of the fighting, and if anything happened to her, Nightfire was to run as far and as fast as she could. They still didn't know who had attacked the Tower, but whoever it was, was keeping the Titans in an abandoned office building in the bad end of town. They took Beastboy's car, because it was less conspicuous. Starfire was full of a mysterious calm as she drove through the dark streets of Jump City, she had resigned herself to her fate, knowing that she couldn't not do this. Nightfire however, couldn't keep still. She was fiddling with everything, her leg jumping as she sat in the passenger seat. If she didn't, her mind would start creating worst case scenarios, scaring her even more. The hum of the cars engine was the only noise, the streets outside looking dark and unreal. They had decided to drive once around the block, to get a idea of their surroundings. As the car sidled past the old building, the two cars looked up at it. To them, it looked like the tower of Babel, casting a shadow on everything, even in the dark, and yet glowing with it's own eerie light. They circled the block, sub-consiuously taking everything in, and when they returned to the office building, the parked a little further up the street and on the other side. Starfire turned to her daughter, the seat creaking in the silence,

"Nightfire, I want you to seriously consider what we are about to do. There is a very good chance that we will be hurt, and we will have to hurt people ourselves. I know you think you can handle it, but be honest with yourself. You are still so young, I will totally understand if you want to back out. I would continue on, so you wouldn't even have to worry about Nightwing, and he would not think any less of you. Once we go in there, I need to know that you won't freak out in the middle of a battle, there would be no turning back." she said. Nightfire looked inside herself, she saw the fear and the apprehension, but she also saw the strength, and she knew that she had to do everything she could to rescue her father, and her friends. She nodded, and Starfire understood.

"I love you" said Starfire,

"I love you too mom" Nightfire replied. They both swung the doors of the car open and stepped out into the night. The cold air washed over them and Nightfire shivered, she felt like she did when she needed to be sick, but couldn't. Dark tendrils of cloud passed on front of a bright full moon, which lit their way just as well as the flickering street lights. They had drawn up a blueprint of the building back at the tower, and they walked as casually as they could manage to the end of the street, then crossed over and walked to the other side of the block, behind the building. Then they aligned themselves with the back of their target, and crept straight through to the back door. They stopped and hid in the bushes, watching for guards. It looked like there were three circling the outside, with more watching from windows going all the way up. Starfire couldn't see how they were to get in. If they approached the door while pressing themselves against the wall, then the guards watching from the windows wouldn't be able to see them, but that would take too long to avoid being seen by the outer guards, and what if the door was locked? So they lay there, waiting for an opportunity, which arrived in the form of another guard. The door clicked open, and the guard stepped out, and he left a wedge in the door to keep it open. He leant against the wall and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a shiny, gold lighter. As he was lighting it, a plan came to Starfire, and she took of into the bushes. Nightfire followed her, and watched as her mother snuck up on one of the guards circling the building. She drew out her gun and Nightfire held her breath as she waited for the shot, but instead, Starfire merely knocked him out using the butt of the gun. Nightfire exhaled in relief, she hadn't wanted to see her mother kill a person. As quickly as she could, Starfire dragged the unconsious man into the bushes, just as the second came round the corner. Knowing that he wouldn't stay out for long, she bound and gagged the guard as best she could, then searched him. She found a card key on him and she pocketed it. Then she watched as the second man rounded the corner, but she waited for the next one. Sure enough, when a third guard came around she snuck up on him, and repeated the whole process. Then they waited until the only remaining guard passed by. They let him go. But they followed as soon as he was out of sight, giving them the maximum amount of time for the next stage. Thankfully, the smoker was still there. He took deep drag on the cigarette, but before he could blow the smoke out, Starfire clapped her hand over his nose and mouth. His eyes went wild and he fought her, but Nightfire came around and held his arms. It usually takes a long time to choke someone into unconsiousness, but when they're already short of oxygen, and have lungs full of tar, the man went down in minutes. Starfire's heart was beating frantically, telling her that the guard would be back around any second now, so they quickly edged toward the door and opened it. They stepped inside and listened for the guard to pass, then once again they bound and gagged the guard. They left him in the bushes outside. Once back in the corridor, they had a good look round for any additional security, there didn't appear to be any but they followed the plan. Directly above their heads was an air vent, wide but shallow it was just big enough for them to fit into. It led away into the wall, so once they removed the grid they could get in by stepping on the wall. The followed the blueprints (which they had brought a copy of) to a staircase which led to the room where they guessed their friends were being kept. It had only one entrance, and could be easily guarded. They pushed themselves along the claustrophobic space as quickly and as silently as they could, but it still took them a while. They reached the point where they could go unnoticed no longer. They dropped down from the vent, and entered the cold stairwell. The took out the cameras immediately, but it would be noticed for sure, so speed was what mattered. They took out the upper camera first, then worked their way down for as far as they could reach, hoping that this would make it look like they were heading down. Then they raced up the stairs, and Starfire pulled her shotgun. The door opened just as they were reaching it, a shocked guard stood in the doorway, and before he could react, Starfire shot him. He fell back into the other guards, Starfire kept firing and cocking the shotgun until she was out of ammo, then she pulled the sword out from it's spine-sheath. She spun and slashed through the crowd of men, and Nightfire followed in her wake, doing her assigned job of collecting their weapons. The stream of attackers seemed endless but they eventually reached the end. Then they spun around and piled the bodies against the door, which jerked as more guards tried to open it from the other side. Starfire couldn't help herself,

"I promise to call an ambulance" she said, then they both ran to the end of the hall where the room was. Standing outside, not knowing what they would find, the two women looked at each other. This was it, they could die now. Then Nightfire did something so simple and yet so clever, she pressed her ear against the door. Amazed, Starfire did the same. Inside they could hear grunts of pain, and a horrible voice, which they couldn't understand through the door, but it sounded angry. It sounded as if it's owner had his or her back to the door. Starfire had two options. Kick the door down and go in guns blazing, or try to sneak in unnoticed.

"Nightfire, what do you think we should do?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but we have to do it soon" she replied, eyeing the door down the hall that led to the stairwell. It was starting to give under the pressure of the guards repeated rams. Starfire inhaled shakily and let it out. She pulled the gun out of her waistband,

"Get one knife in your hand, and keep the other one hidden" she instructed, and Nightfire hastily complied. Then she turned the knob and threw the door wide.


	11. Malice

Chapter 11

The room they were faced with was positively cavernous, it must have been the main board-room. The wall-paper was peeling and there was only just enough light to see. Directly in front of them, the Titans hung, chained to the wall with heavy manacles. The size of the room made it seem as if they were miles away, unreachable. In front of them stood what looked like a haggard old man. He was hunched over, and wearing a black robe that fell to the floor. He wore the hood up, so they couldn't even see his face. He turned when he heard the door open, but had obviously been facing Nightwing, who hung slack in his chains, breathing heavily. The old man had some sort of baton in his hand, that looked to Starfire like a cattle-prod. Starfire held the gun up at him,

"Let them go" she said. She thought she sounded pretty convincing, but the man just laughed. It was a horrible laugh that made you feel like someone had just slipped a ice-cube down your spine.

"Hello, my dear" he said, his voice was dry and raspy, yet dramatic. He sounded like a snake. "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon." This wasn't what Starfire had expected.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" she shouted across the room, stepping closer.

"Don't you remember me? Well, I must say I'm disapointed in you. Although I'm not surprised, I have changed" he spoke the last few words with such a fierce malice, a pure hatred. Nightfire shivered, and dread set over Starfire. It was then that they became aware of several guards behind them, they turned just I time to see the closest pair grab their wrists. They fought them off, but more and more joined in. Starfire heard one of the men cry out and she looked over to see a man holding his forearm, blood darkening the shine of Nightfire's blade. She smiled, proud of her daughter once more. She was distracted too long, and one of the men forced the gun from her hand. She began to fight more fiercely, like a tigress trying to get to her cubs, but there were to many. She and her daughter were brought forward, and forced to their knees in front of the dark figure of the old man.

"Who are you?" she said through gritted teeth. The man came closer until they could see him perfectly in the moonlight that shone in through the broken windows. He extended a shrivelled hand and slowly pushed back his sleeve. He flipped his wrist over to reveal an exact copy of the mark that she and her child bore on their shoulders.

"Slade" she gasped. Nightfire looked from the old man's wrist to her mother, then back again.

"Not any more." he said, standing up straighter, "I am Malice" he dragged out the ending, making Starfire think of a snake again. Malice threw back his hood to show them the mask he wore. It was the same shape and size of his old one, but it was completely black, except for under one eye, where red blood was dripping like tears.

"I thought you were dead!" said Starfire. Malice leapt forward in a rage,

"I am dead! Yes I stand before you, but this is not life! This…..is……torment!" He spun around to face the wall where the other Titans hung. Cyborg, Raven and Beastboy struggled relentlessly against their chains, but to no avail. They must have been injected with the same toxin he had used on Starfire, so many years ago. Nightwing had obviously been given the worst beating, his body broken, but as Malice stepped closer his eyes flicked up to watch him, ever alert.

"Our friend Nightwing took care of that." Malice stabbed him in the side with the baton and the room was filled with an electric fizz. His body contorted with pain, but he didn't cry out. Malice turned back to the kneeling women, waving the baton. "A crude instrument, but it gets the job done" They could hear him smile. "I'm not going to make mistakes this time, I will get my revenge. But where to start….." he spun on his heels, "Do I start with….the friends?" he gestured towards the chained heroes, "Or the love?" he turned back to Starfire, "Or even….the child" he turned to Nightfire and traced a finger along the side of her face she shook with disgust but held her tongue. Satrfire's blood was boiling but she was powerless to help. She knew if she reacted, he would definately go for her first. "Perhaps not." Starfire sagged with relief. "She could be of use to me, as an apprentice."

"I'd rather die." spat Nightfire.

"If you insist," he said, and backhanded her fiercely to the face, sending her sprawling on the floor. Nightwing and Starfire both cried out, as he stood over her, baton at the ready. He grabbed a handful of hair and ripped her to her knees. His arm went back as he prepared to strike but Nightfire's clenched fists were already on fire. Instead of launching the energy at him, she plunged her hands into his stomach. Malice cried out and threw her away from him. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and they could all see a giant, singing hole in his uniform. He cursed,

"You'll pay for that with your life!" he shouted. "But first" he said, regaining his calm, "I'm going to kill Starfire, while Nightwing is still sane enough to witness it" he turned slowly, and Starfire just stared at him, ready. The guards' grips had loosened in the commotion, so she forced herself to her feet, and danced past their outreaching hands. She faced Malice with a smile on her face. She felt like laughing, she may be about to die, but her daughter had seriously done a number on him, and apparently so had Nightwing. This guy was a loser, he stood no chance of winning against the Titans, and she didn't have to be afraid.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" she said. If she was gonna go down, she wanted to go down with no regrets. "Look at you. You've spent your whole life trying to beat Robin, and every single time you fail. You may be able to kill me, but I know you will never be able to beat them, Nightfire included. You have to chain them to a wall and take their powers, just to level the field." She shook her head, "Good is a very powerful force, Slade, it's always there, no matter what you do. If you somehow manage to get out of this alive, and we don't, where are you gonna go? There's still the Titans East, you gonna go after them next? That's why evil will never win, it's never happy."

"You're pretty cocky for a dead girl" said Malice, scowling. Starfire shrugged, all eyes on her.

"I've led a good life, I've raised a wonderful daughter," she looked at Nightfire, and was amazed when she saw she wasn't where she should be, but Malice was too offended to notice, so she continued. "I found love," she looked at Nightwing, and she saw him standing looking at her with admiration and happiness, free from his chains. Nightfire was to his right, using her starbolt energy to melt through the others' manacles. She smiled, and looked Malice square in the face. "and I don't think I'm going to die." She finished just as the last chain clattered to the floor. Malice spun around and eyed all the Titans now free and looking at him with feigned pity. Nightwing reached behind his back and pulled out a small cylinder, which quickly expanded into a full-length bowstaff.

"No!" snarled Malice, he looked at his guards and they ran forward to take on the Titans. They were out of practice, powerless, and Nightwing was really seriously injured, but they fought with vigour and relish. The guards kept them busy long enough, however, for Malice to charge Starfire and catch her unawares. He pulled her out of the room with his arm around her neck, and she could just hear Nightwing's cry of "Starfire!" as the door swung to.. He dragged her up the stairs to the roof, with the mythical strength of a man gone insane. She fought him desperately, but he retained his hold on her until they reached his destination. Once on the roof, Malice threw Starfire away from her. She took a moment to regain her balance, and her breath, before standing to look at her opponent. And when she did, she found herself face to face with the steel barrel of a gun.

"I _will_ have my revenge, Starfire" he said, cocking the gun with his thumb. Just then the door to the roof smashed open and the Titans stood in the doorway. Nobody moved for two seconds, then everything seemed to speed up.

Malice turned back to Starfire. Starfire turned back to him. Nightwing took a run to gain momentum for a jump. Malice pulled the trigger. Starfire tried to throw herself to the side. Nightwing collided with her, pushing her out of the way. They heard the gunshot. Nightfire screamed. The couple hit the tarmac roofing. Time returned to normal.

Starfire lifted herself into a sitting position, feeling Nightwing's deadweight covering her. She quickly rolled him over, and blood was blossoming on his chest.

"Robin?" she said ever so quietly, "Robin!" she practically screamed. Thankfully, he groaned and his eyes flickered open. He looked at her and whispered,

"Hey there, I'm okay, really" somehow, she didn't believe him.

"Well, that worked out better than I ever could have hoped." Malice was behind them and his taunting voice bit at Starfire's ears. "Who knew that the boy wonder would throw himself in front of my bullet? I would, of course, prefer a more prolonged death, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Shut up" Starfire said through clenched teeth, but Malice ignored her.

"And how fitting for a hero to die in the arms of his long-lost love. Although, I am going to kill her too." He laughed. "And then I'm going to kill their only child, the beautiful Nightfire. Well, maybe not immediately. I bet I could think of something to do with her." he leered. Starfire gently lowered Nightwing to the floor, then stood up and turned to face him. Her hands were clenched into fists, and a cold wind blew her hair up in fierce tendrils. Her eyes were burning with a luminescent green fire.

"Shut up!" she shouted, her hands burst into life, green flames flickering by themselves. She took a step closer, "You have not killed Robin," she took another step, "You will not lay a hand on me" another step, "And you will certainly will not harm our daughter!" she finished, the flames covering her hands grew brighter and snaked up to cover her forearms while the light in her eyes burned a blinding white. Malice took a step back, and began to cower in the face of this potent rage. Even the other Titans were wary of her, and they gave her a wide birth as they rushed to Nightwing's side. Malice, who had retreating further and further as Starfire came closer, hit the ledge of the roof. Starfire reached him, her whole body ablaze, and she wrapped her hands around his neck. He screamed in pain as she forced him down. The fire engulfed him aswell and he clawed at her fingers. He burned like this for thirty seconds, staring into the unfeeling white intensity of her eyes. Then he fell silent. Starfire stayed like that for a moment, holding his blackened shape in her hands, still flaming violently. Then, suddenly, the fire extinguished, and the only thing that kept her from pitching over the side from exhaustion was Nightwing, who just managed to grab her shirt as she fell. He was weak, and supported by Cyborg on one side, but Beastboy relieved him soon enough and swept her thin form up into his arms. He walked next to Cyborg and Nightwing, who took her limp hand and smiled weakly as it tightened around his. He looked at her and saw her watching him out of half-closed eyes, before they drifted closed. Then Nightfire lead the way back to the car, and they all drove back to the tower as fast as they could to get their injured comrades the medical attention they needed.


	12. Epilogue

Chapter 12

Epilogue

"Mom!" Nightfire's cry rang through the tower, reaching it's destination. Her parents bedroom. Starfire quickly rolled off her husband, and off the bed, to land with a thump on the floor with an "oomph". A second later, the young fourteen year-old rushed in, she stumbled at the incriminating sight before her, but she shook it off. She was used to her two parents making out, and was just glad that, this time, they were fully dressed.

"Mom, I can't find my black halter top, and I _need_ it for this party tonight!" she wailed. Starfire pulled herself to her feet, which wasn't as easy as it used to be, considering she was five months pregnant. She knew it was going to be a boy, because boy-pregnancies on Tamaran supposedly make the mother more…… amourous. Not that Nightwing was complaining, of course.

"Where have you looked?" Starfire asked with a sigh.

"Everywhere!" replied her distraught daughter.

"You can't have looked everywhere because then you would have found it." said Starfire. "What does it look like?"

"It's a black halter top, I wear that blue, tribal armband with it, remember?"

"Didn't I see Raven with it? She went out last night with Beastboy, go ask her."

"Okay….." Nightfire turned and wizzed out of the room, her long black ponytail narrowly missing getting trapped in the door. Starfire turned back to the gorgeous man on her bed.

"Where were we?" she said teasingly. Nightwing extended a hand and she took it. Nightwing pulled and she overbalanced on top of him. She laughed and leant down to resume their former activities, but just as their lips met, the Tower's alarm sounded.

"Everytime….." cursed Nightwing, as Starfire lifted herself off him. They stepped out into the corridor, and Nightfire came running up.

"Can I come this time? Pleeease? My flying has really gotten good, and my starbolts are more accurate. Please?" Their daughter gave them puppy-dog eyes, and Nightwing laughed,

"Starfire? What do you say?"

"Lets see who it is first." Hearing this, Nightfire took off down the stairs to the living room, leaving her parents alone.

"You know, Starfire? I'm not sure you should keep doing this. Five months is pretty far along…." said Nightwing.

"I know, but I like it, and I want to keep an eye on Nightfire." replied Starfire.

"I can do that, and she doesn't come everytime."

"I know, I'll stop soon, okay?" she bargained.

"Okay" he said. They had reached the main room, and a file photo of "Crystal Clear jewellers" was up on the big screen.

"There you are," said Raven.

"Who is it?" asked Nightwing, and you could already tell by his voice that he had slipped into his battle mode.

"Just some small time thief, decided to try his luck. Shouldn't take too long." said Cyborg.

"So can I go, Mom, please?" begged Nightfire at her mother's side.

"Oh alright" Starfire caved, "I never could say no to those eyes"


End file.
